Returning to work from mat leave and being pregnant again!

[tigwig]

This is happening to a friend of mine. She wanted her children close together and was desperately trying to become pregnant as soon as she could before she had to go back to work. She is now due back next week and is terrified of telling the boss she is pregnant again. I have tried to reassure her that they can't say or do anything to her that will jeapordise her job but I have to say I feel a bit sorry for the company. They are only a small run firm and she has been missed whilst off. Now this may cause some debate but what do others think, is it fair/right?

[bednobs]

seems fair to me, If you have a maternity policy, you should follow it

[237SJ]

My friend had two kids close together although the second one wasn`t planned and she was horrified! She had no intention of going back to work but managed to stay on the payroll for 4 years. She worked for a large organisation who could cover the situation financially but I feel sorry for any small company who has to pay a staff member who is not there, and employ someone else to cover for them as well. At least your friend intends returning to work though.

[China Doll]

I think if your friend should hand in her notice. Her priorities are clearly her children at the moment and as you say, it's a small firm. It's not fair on the company to be constantly without her.

[jackles]

years ago there was no maternity leave your job.not good,now as usual things have gone too far the other way ;maternity leave extended;companies will soon be reluctant to take on women. if i owned a small business, i certainly would be.

[tiggerblue10]

Have the co. got a temp in to cover her?

We had a situation a couple of years ago where a woman went on maternity for a year then went on career break (unpaid) and she's now pregnant again and wants to be switched back to maternity where she will be paid in full for 6 months. Women have maternity rights which they should have but this woman was taking the p!ss!

[RATTER15]

Why should any company be expected to pay anybody to stay at home, Crazy!!!!!

I'm bloody sure I wouldn't!!!

[ummmm]

I agree with CD.

[annie0000]

I came back fom maternity leave pregnant which wasn't exactly planned. It was a really large company and I had only been off for 4 and half months so hadn't used my full maternity leave provision, I also then worked up to 1 week before my due date despite them attempting to make me redundant whilst about go off. I argued against this as I fully intended coming back after a similar break and the first stage of the redundancy process was to allow you to try to find an alternative job within the company, I felt at a disadvantage in interviews with my stomach sticking out like I'd stolen a medicine ball and hidden under my top! They then agreed that my notice would start as soon as I returned. I returned after 5 months worked 4 months notice and they made me redundant. I had worked for the company for 8 years before becoming pregnant. Despite having been in a similar situation to your friend, it depends on her circumstances and attitude as to whether she is taking the pee. I had all intentions of returning to do my job and had very short periods of mat leave. My husband stayed at home and looked after the kids, so I was a reliable employee. I got a job a couple of months after being made redundant and had temp-ed during the gap. I still work for the same company almost 9 years later and have had a bout 3 sick days.

What I am saying here is that it really depends on your friends future intentions and previous record with the firm. If she has been a hardworking loyal employee, has taken a moderate amount of mat leave, intends to do the same this time and also considers that her family will be complete and has adequate childcare in place to ensure that she is not running off every 5 minutes then i think she should explain this to her boss and judge his reaction. If on the other hand she intends to maximise her leave and return part time or not at all and her heart isn't in the job, then I think she should resign.

[woofgang]

i agree with RATTER

[barb1314]

So do I (agree with China) My sister did this 3 times but luckily works for a very large supermarket chain in management. She actually went back after the third and became one of the first job share general managers and the lady she job shared with then,yes you guessed it,got pregnant!! What a nightmare. But they can at least stand the cost. Small or medium private companies cannot. I agree maternity rights are important but some people really take the mick. When we had our sandwich shop,we actively sought older lady employees who had had their children (or male staff).Wrongly or rightly it was the only thing we could afford to do at the time. Sorry if people disagree.

[B00]

I don't understand why she's so terrified of telling her boss she's pregnant again. From what you typed, her intention was to be pregnant before her mat leave was up, surely she'd already thought of what to say or what the consequences might be, for all concerned, beforehand?

[I.Don No]

she now has another child on the way............she should now be a stay at home mum, which, by the way she should have become on the birth of her first child.

Although I realise accidents happen, no-one has to have a child nowadays. If you have even one child then one of the parents should then be a full time stay at home carer. Simples.